Integrated circuit devices and fabrication techniques

ABSTRACT

Integrated circuit devices and fabrication techniques. A semiconductor device fabrication method may include doping, in a same processing step, first and second portions of a substrate of an integrated circuit. The first portion corresponds to a doped region of a semiconductor device. The second portion corresponds to a via contact. The method may further include, after the doping, forming the gate of the semiconductor device.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to integrated circuit devices andintegrated circuit fabrication techniques. Some embodiments of thepresent disclosure relate particularly to a method of fabricatingfinFETs.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

The cost of manufacturing an integrated circuit (IC) is related to thenumber of process steps required to fabricate the IC. Reducing thenumber of process steps required to fabricate an IC may reduce the costof manufacturing the IC in a number of ways. For example, reducing thenumber of process steps may decrease the duration of the fabricationprocess, thereby freeing up expensive resources, such as fabricationfacilities and equipment, for use in the fabrication of additional ICs.As another example, reducing the number of process steps may increasethe yield of the fabrication process, thereby reducing the cost per IC.

As semiconductor feature sizes have continued to shrink, conventionalfield-effect transistors (FETs) have increasingly suffered from problemssuch as short-channel effects, high leakage current, and high staticpower dissipation. Many alternatives to the conventional planar FETstructure have been studied, including the non-planar finFET. A finFETis a field-effect transistor in which a portion of the transistor'ssemiconductor material forms a fin-like structure. Relative toconventional planar FETs, a finFET may exhibit reduced short-channeleffects, leakage current, and/or static power dissipation.

Methods of fabricating finFETs on integrated circuits are known. Forexample, a conventional finFET fabrication process may include thefollowing steps: formation and filling of trenches between the finFETand other semiconductor devices for shallow-trench isolation; removal ofportions of the semiconductor substrate to form a fin; formation ofsidewall spacers for a dummy gate; formation of the dummy gate to shieldthe body of the finFET from the dopants; implantation of dopants intothe finFET's source and drain regions; annealing of the integratedcircuit to activate the dopants; removal of the dummy gate; andformation of the real finFET gate between the spacers, so that the gatealigns with the finFET's undoped body region. During implantation ofdopants, the dummy gate may shield the body of the finFET from thedopants.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, there is provided a semiconductor devicefabrication method. The method includes forming a fully-depleted channelof a finFET in a cell of a static random-access memory (SRAM) by doping,in a same processing step, portions of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI)substrate of an integrated circuit. A first of the portions correspondsto a first doped region of a finFET. A second of the portionscorresponds to a second doped region of the finFET. A third of theportions corresponds to a via contact. The method further includes,after the doping, forming a gate of the finFET.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a semiconductordevice fabrication method. The method includes doping, in a sameprocessing step, first and second portions of a substrate of anintegrated circuit. The first portion corresponds to a doped region of asemiconductor device. The second portion corresponds to a via contact.The method further includes, after the doping, forming the gate of thesemiconductor device.

According to another embodiment, there is provided an integrated circuitincluding a semiconductor device fabricated by the method described inthe preceding paragraph.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For an understanding of some embodiments, reference will now be made byway of example only to the accompanying Figures in which:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a field effect transistor (FET) 100,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a planar FET 100 a, according to someembodiments;

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show views of a finFET 100 b (in particular, aperspective view, a cross-sectional view along line B-B, and across-sectional view along line A-A, respectively), according to someembodiments;

FIG. 3D shows a cross-sectional view of a finFET 100 b, according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 3E shows a cross-sectional view of a finFET 100 b, according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 3F shows a cross-sectional view of a finFET 100 b, according toanother embodiment;

FIGS. 4A and 4B show views of an independent-gate finFET 100 c (inparticular, a perspective view and a cross-sectional view along lineA-A, respectively), according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4C shows a perspective view of a segmented-fin finFET 100 d,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5A shows a flowchart of a method of fabricating a semiconductordevice, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5B shows a flowchart of a method of doping portions of thesemiconductor substrate, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5C shows a flowchart of a method of isolating doped regions ofsemiconductor devices from each other, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5D shows a flowchart of a method of forming a gate of asemiconductor device, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic of an SRAM cell, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 7 shows an integrated circuit layout of the SRAM cell of FIG. 6,according to some embodiments;

FIGS. 8A-8C show integrated circuit 700 after mask-provision sub-step512 has been performed (in particular, FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C show a topview of integrated circuit 700, a cross-sectional view of integratedcircuit 700 along line A-A, and a cross-sectional view of integratedcircuit 700 along line B-B, respectively), according to someembodiments;

FIGS. 9A-C show integrated circuit 700 after mask-opening sub-step 514and implantation/activation sub-step 516 have been performed (inparticular, FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C show a top view of integrated circuit700, a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along line A-A,and a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along line B-B,respectively), according to some embodiments;

FIGS. 10A-C show integrated circuit 700 after mask-opening sub-step 522and inverse-mask sub-step 524 have been performed (in particular, FIGS.10A, 10B, and 10C show a top view of integrated circuit 700, across-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along line A-A, and across-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along line B-B,respectively), according to some embodiments;

FIGS. 11A-C show integrated circuit 700 after mask-removal sub-step 526and substrate-removal sub-step 528 have been performed (in particular,FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C show a top view of integrated circuit 700, across-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along line A-A, and across-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along line B-B,respectively), according to some embodiments;

FIGS. 11D-E show integrated circuit 700 after dielectric layer 812 andgate materials 814 and 816 have been provided (in particular, FIGS. 11Dand 11E show a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along lineA-A and a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along line B-B,respectively), according to some embodiments;

FIGS. 12A-C show integrated circuit 700 after mask-alignment sub-step534 and material-removal sub-step 536 have been performed (inparticular, FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C show a top view of integratedcircuit 700, a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along lineA-A, and a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along lineB-B, respectively), according to some embodiments; and

FIGS. 13A-C show integrated circuit 700 after formation of interconnectlayers and through vias (in particular, FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C show atop view of integrated circuit 700, a cross-sectional view of integratedcircuit 700 along line A-A, and a cross-sectional view of integratedcircuit 700 along line B-B, respectively), according to someembodiments.

For clarity, the same elements have been designated with the samereference numerals in the different drawings and, further, as usual inthe representation of integrated circuits, the various drawings are notto scale. For clarity, only those steps and elements which are useful tothe understanding of the described embodiments have been shown and willbe discussed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Conventional finFET fabrication methods may require a large number offabrication processing steps and/or rely on fabrication techniques thatare unlikely to scale to processing nodes with smaller feature sizes(e.g., features sizes of 65 nm or less). The inventors have recognizedand appreciated that a simpler process for fabricating finFETs (e.g., aprocess with fewer processing steps and/or processing steps that scaleto feature sizes of 65 nm or less) may increase fabrication yields andreduce fabrication expenses.

According to an embodiment, a semiconductor fabrication method mayinclude a doping step in which dopants are implanted in portions of anintegrated circuit substrate corresponding to doped regions of a finFETand a via contact. The method may also include a gate-formation step,performed after the doping step, in which the gate of the semiconductordevice is formed.

In some embodiments, during the same process step in which the finFETgate is formed, a local interconnect coupling the gate of the finFET toa via contact may be formed from the same material as the finFET gate.

In some embodiments, the device produced by the semiconductorfabrication method may be an SRAM, and the finFET may be an element ofan SRAM cell.

In some embodiments, the method may also include an isolation step,performed after the doping step, in which doped regions of differentfinFETs are isolated from each other.

In some embodiments, the fin channel of the integrated circuit may be afully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) substrate.

The features described above, as well as additional features, aredescribed further below. These features may be used individually, alltogether, or in any combination, as the technology is not limited inthis respect.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a field effect transistor (FET) 100,according to some embodiments. FET (100) includes a gate 102, two dopedregions (drain 104 and source 106), and a body region 108. When FET 100is suitably biased, a channel may form in body region 108 between drain104 and source 106. The conductivity of the channel may be controlled,at least in part, by a voltage (VGS) applied across the gate and sourceterminals. When a voltage (VDS) is applied across the drain and sourceterminals, current may flow through the channel.

In some embodiments, portions of a semiconductor device such as FET 100may be formed in and/or on a semiconductor substrate. In someembodiments, a substrate may include silicon, silicon germanium, siliconcarbide, and/or other material(s) known to one of ordinary skill in theart or otherwise suitable for fabricating semiconductor devices. In someembodiments, a substrate may be a bulk substrate, a silicon-on-insulator(SOI) substrate, a strained-silicon-direct-on-insulator (SSDOI)substrate, a strained heterostructure-on-insulator (HOT) substrate, orany other type of substrate known to one of ordinary skill in the art orotherwise suitable for fabricating semiconductor devices. In someembodiments, portions of a substrate may be partially or fully depletedof charge carriers. In some embodiments, portions of a substrate may bestrained. For example, portions of a substrate which are configured tooperate as transistor channels may be tensiley or compressively strainedto enhance the mobility of charge carriers in the channels.

In some embodiments, the doped regions of a semiconductor device (e.g.,drain 104 and source 106 of FET 100) may be regions of a semiconductorsubstrate that are doped (e.g., heavily doped) with charge carriers. Thecharge carriers may be introduced into the doped regions and activatedthrough techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art orotherwise suitable for modifying the electrical properties of a regionof a semiconductor substrate, including but not limited to ionimplantation and annealing.

The gate of a semiconductor device (e.g., gate 102 of FET 100) mayinclude, for example, polysilicon, one or more metallic materials,and/or any other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art orotherwise suitable for forming a gate. In some embodiments, the gate andchannel of a semiconductor device, such as FET 100, may be separatedfrom each other by a dielectric layer. In some embodiments, thedielectric layer may include a dielectric material such as polysilicon,a high-k dielectric material (e.g., a material having a dielectricconstant higher than the dielectric constant of polysilicon), and/or anyother material known to one of ordinary skill in the art or otherwisesuitable for insulating a transistor gate and channel from each other.For example, a dielectric layer may include hafnium oxide (HfO₂).

In some embodiments, the gate of a semiconductor device (e.g., gate 102of FET 100) may include or be partially or fully covered by a spacerlayer, a liner, a capping layer, and/or any other type of ‘gate-coveringlayer.’ A gate-covering layer may be formed near the gate of asemiconductor device (e.g., over the gate and/or adjacent to thesidewalls of the gate) by techniques known to one of ordinary skill inthe art or otherwise suitable for forming a gate-covering layer,including but not limited to deposition and photolithographic patterningof a gate-covering material. In some embodiments, a gate-covering layermay include a nitride and/or an oxide, such as silicon nitride (SiN) orsilicon oxide (SiO). In some embodiments, a gate-covering layer mayinsulate the gate from other portions of the integrated circuit,facilitate a self-aligning transistor fabrication process, apply stressto the transistor channel, etc.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a planar FET 100 a, according to someembodiments. In the example of FIG. 2, FET 100 a includes a body region108, drain 104, and source 106 formed in a semiconductor substrate 110,a dielectric layer 112 formed over the channel portion 109 of bodyregion 108, and a gate 102 formed over dielectric layer 112. In planarFET 100 a, the surface of body region 108 over which dielectric layer112 and gate 102 are formed is planar.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show views of a finFET 100 b, according to someembodiments. FIG. 3A shows a perspective view of finFET 100 b. FIG. 3Bshows a cross-sectional view of finFET 100 b along line B-B. FIG. 3Cshows a cross-sectional view of finFET 100 b along line A-A.

In some embodiments, a finFET may be a FET in which a fin structureincludes at least a portion of the transistor body. In the example ofFIGS. 3A-3C, finFET 100 b includes a fin 114 which protrudes upward fromsubstrate 110 and in which body region 108 is formed. In someembodiments, a fin 114 may be a semiconductor structure which protrudesfrom, is suspended over, or is layered over a portion of substrate 110.In some embodiments, fin 114 may be formed from substrate 110 (e.g., byremoving portions of substrate 110 adjacent to fin 114). In someembodiments, fin 114 may be formed from a semiconductor layer ofsubstrate 110, and portions of substrate 110 below fin 114 may be formedfrom a buried oxide (BOX) layer of substrate 110. In the example ofFIGS. 3A-3C, fin 114 also includes at least portions of drain 104 andsource 106.

In some embodiments, fin 114 may be a thin structure. For example, thethickness 116 of fin 114 may be less than its height 115 (e.g., thethickness may be between 5% and 80% of the height, between 5% and 75% ofthe height, between 5% and 60% of the height, between 5% and 50% of theheight, between 5% and 40% of the height, between 5% and 25% of theheight, or between 5% and 20% of the height). As just one example, theheight 115 and thickness 116 of fin 114 may be 32 nm and 8 nm,respectively.

Embodiments of fin 114 are not limited by the properties of the fin orby the method of fabricating the fin. In some embodiments, a fin'sconfiguration (e.g., shape, orientation, material composition, etc.) maybe a configuration known to one of ordinary skill in the art orotherwise suitable for a fin structure. Embodiments of fin 114 may beformed using any technique known to one of ordinary skill in the art orotherwise suitable for forming a fin structure.

FinFET 100 b also includes a gate 102 and dielectric layer 112 whichinsulates the gate from body region 108 of fin 114. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 3A-3C, gate 102 wraps around fin 114, such that portions of gate102 are over body region 108 (e.g., adjacent to an upper surface of thebody region), and portions of gate 102 are beside body region 108 (e.g.,adjacent to sidewalls of the body region). In some embodiments, portionsof gate 102 may be over, above, beside, below, and/or under body region108. In the embodiment of FIGS. 3A-3C, gate 102 is structured as asingle electrical node. FinFETs in which a gate is structured as asingle electrical node may be referred to as ‘dependent-gate’ finFETs.In some embodiments, gate 102 may be structured as two or moreindependent electrical nodes. FinFETs in which the gate 102 isstructured as two or more independent electrical nodes may be referredto as ‘independent-gate’ finFETs.

FIGS. 3D-3F show cross-sectional views of finFET 100 b, according tosome other embodiments. In the embodiments of FIGS. 3D-3F, portions ofgate 102 are below body region 108 of fin 114. In the embodiment of FIG.3D, which may be referred to as a pi-gate finFET, portions of gate 102are below body region 108 of fin 114 but not under body region 108 offin 114. In the embodiment of FIG. 3E, which may be referred to as anomega-gate (Ω-gate) finFET, portions of gate 102 are both below andunder body region 108 of fin 114. In the embodiment of FIG. 3F, whichmay be referred to as a gate-all-around finFET, gate 102 forms a ringaround body region 108 of fin 114, such that all portions of body region108 are beside, above, and below portions of gate 102.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show views of an independent-gate finFET 100 c,according to some embodiments. FIG. 4A shows a perspective view ofindependent-gate finFET 100 c. FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view ofindependent-gate finFET 100 c along line A-A. In an independent-gatefinFET, the gate may be structured as two or more independent nodes. Inthe example of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the finFET gate is structured as twoindependent nodes, 102 a and 102 b.

FIG. 4C shows a perspective view of a segmented-fin finFET 100 d,according to some embodiments. In a segmented-fin finFET, thetransistor's body region may be segmented among two or more fins. In theexample of FIG. 4C, the transistor's body region (not shown) issegmented among two fins 114 a and 114 b.

Embodiments are not limited to the finFET structures illustrated inFIGS. 3-4 and described above. Embodiments may include (or be used tofabricate) any finFET structure known to one of ordinary skill in theart or otherwise suitable for operating as a finFET, including but notlimited to segmented-fin finFETs with any number of fins, finFETs withany number of independent and/or dependent gates, finFETs with fins ofany shapes or dimensions, finFETs with gates of any shape, etc.

FIG. 5A shows a flowchart of a method of fabricating a semiconductordevice, according to some embodiments. In step 502 of the method of FIG.5A, portions of the semiconductor substrate are doped. The dopedportions correspond to a doped region of a semiconductor device and avia contact. In some embodiments the semiconductor device may be, forexample, a finFET, and the doped region may be a source or drain of thefinFET. In some embodiments, a via contact may be an opening in aninsulating layer through which a doped region of a semiconductorsubstrate is conductively coupled to an interconnect layer of anintegrated circuit. In some embodiments, the portions of a substratecorresponding to doped regions of semiconductor devices and to viacontacts may be doped in a same process step of a semiconductorfabrication process. Forming drain/source doped regions and via contactdoped regions in a same processing step may facilitate alignment ofsemiconductor device terminals (e.g., drains and sources) with viacontacts, thereby allowing the fabrication process to more easily scaleto process nodes with smaller feature sizes.

In some embodiments, the method of FIG. 5A may be a gate-last process(i.e., a process in which the gate of a semiconductor device isfabricated after the doped regions of the semiconductor device have beendoped). In some gate-last embodiments of the method of FIG. 5A, dummygates and/or sidewall spacers may not be used to align a semiconductordevice's later-formed gate with the device's earlier-formed dopedregions. In this manner, embodiments of FIG. 5A may reduce the number ofprocess steps used to fabricate a semiconductor device, relative toconventional fabrication processes.

FIG. 5B shows a flowchart of a method of doping portions of thesemiconductor substrate, according to some embodiments. In someembodiments, step 502 of the method of FIG. 5A may be performedaccording to the method of FIG. 5B. In step 512 of FIG. 5B, a mask isprovided over a semiconductor substrate of an integrated circuit. Themask may be provided using any technique known to one of ordinary skillin the art or otherwise suitable for masking an integrated circuit,including but not limited to depositing the mask or growing the mask. Insome embodiments the mask may be a hard mask, such as a silicon nitride(SiN) mask or a silicon oxide (SiO) mask.

In step 514 of FIG. 5B, the mask is opened. In some embodiments, openingthe mask includes removing portions of the mask over a portion of thesubstrate that corresponds to a doped region of the semiconductor deviceand over a portion of the substrate that corresponds to a via contact.The mask may be opened using any technique known to one of ordinaryskill in the art or otherwise suitable for opening a mask, including butnot limited to patterning the mask and etching the mask. For example, insome embodiments, photolithographic patterning and plasma etching orreactive ion etching (RIE) may be used to open the mask.

In step 516 of FIG. 5B, dopants are implanted into the semiconductorsubstrate through the open portions of the mask, and the implanteddopants are activated. Dopants may be implanted in the substrate usingtechniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art or any othersuitable techniques for modifying the electrical properties of a regionof a semiconductor substrate, including but not limited to ionimplantation. In some embodiments, different dopants may be implanted inthe doped regions of p-channel FETs and n-channel FETs. The implanteddopants may be activated using techniques known to one of ordinary skillin the art or any other suitable techniques, including but not limitedto annealing the integrated circuit.

In some embodiments, the implantation of dopants may be controlled toachieve full or partial depletion of charge carriers from a portion ofthe substrate corresponding to the channel region of a semiconductordevice. In embodiments where full or partial depletion of chargecarriers is performed, the integrated circuit's semiconductor substratemay be a fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) substrate (e.g., anSOI substrate in which the thickness of the semiconductor layer over theburied oxide layer is between 1 nm and 45 nm, between 2 nm and 35 nm, orbetween 2 nm and 10 nm). Performing full or partial depletion of chargecarriers from a semiconductor device's channel region may reduce theimpact of short-channel effects and/or barrier-induced leakage on theoperations of the semiconductor device.

The method illustrated in FIG. 5B is just one example of a method ofdoping portions of a substrate. In some embodiments, techniques known toone of ordinary skill in the art or otherwise suitable for dopingportions of a semiconductor substrate may be used.

In step 504 of the method of FIG. 5A, the portion of the substrate thatcorresponds to the doped region of the semiconductor device is isolatedfrom a portion of the substrate that corresponds to a doped region of asecond semiconductor device. In some embodiments, the secondsemiconductor device may be finFET, and the doped region of the secondsemiconductor device may be a source or drain. In some embodiments, twodoped regions may be partially or fully isolated from each other whenportions of the substrate located between the doped regions are removed,and/or when an insulating material is interposed between the dopedregions. In some embodiments, the techniques used to isolate the dopedregions of semiconductor devices from each other may also result in theformation of fin structures for the semiconductor devices.

FIG. 5C shows a flowchart of a method of isolating doped regions ofsemiconductor devices from each other, according to some embodiments. Insome embodiments, the method of FIG. 5C may be applied to an integratedcircuit which includes a first mask with openings over portions of thesubstrate corresponding to the doped regions of the semiconductordevices. In some embodiments, the mask may also have openings overportions of the substrate which correspond to one or more via contacts.In step 522 of the method of FIG. 5C, additional portions of the firstmask are opened. The additional openings may be over portions of thesubstrate corresponding to the bodies of the semiconductor devices. Asin step 514 of FIG. 5B, the mask may be opened using any technique knownone of ordinary skill in the art or otherwise suitable for opening amask.

In step 524 of FIG. 5C, an inverse mask is formed in the openings of thefirst mask. In some embodiments, the inverse mask may be formed overportions of the substrate corresponding to doped regions and bodyregions of semiconductor devices (e.g., the fin structures of finFETs)and/or to via contacts. In some embodiments, the inverse mask may beformed by providing a second mask over the first mask. In someembodiments, the second mask may be formed from a different material inthe first mask. For example, in embodiments where the first mask is anitride material, the second mask may be in oxide material, such assilicon oxide (SiO). In embodiments where the first mask is in oxidematerial, the second mask may be a nitride material, such as siliconnitride (SiN). As in step 512 of FIG. 5B, the second mask may beprovided using any technique known to one of ordinary skill in the artor otherwise suitable for masking an integrated circuit. When the secondmask is provided, portions of the second mask may partially or fullyfill the openings in the first mask.

In some embodiments, the inverse mask may be formed from the second maskby removing portions of the second mask that are not located in openingsof the first mask. The portions of the second mask that are not locatedin openings of the first mask may be removed using techniques known toone of ordinary skill in the art or any other techniques suitable forremoving portions of a mask, including but not limited tochemical-mechanical polishing (CMP). For example, a chemical-mechanicalpolishing step may be performed to remove portions of the second maskthat are over the first mask, leaving the first mask intact with theopenings in the first mask filled by portions of the second mask.

In step 526 of FIG. 5C, the first mask may be removed from theintegrated circuit, leaving an inverse mask over the portions of thesubstrate that were accessible through the openings in the first mask.The first mask may be removed using techniques known to one of ordinaryskill in the art or any other suitable techniques for removing thematerial of the first mask without removing the material the secondmask. For example, in some embodiments, plasma etching or reactive ionetching may be used to remove the first mask without removing the secondmask (and portions of the substrate below the second mask).

In step 528 of FIG. 5C, at least some portions of the substrate whichare not covered by the inverse mask are removed. Portions of thesubstrate may be removed using techniques known to one of ordinary skillin the art or otherwise suitable for removing portions of asemiconductor substrate, including but not limited to plasma etching orreactive ion etching. In some embodiments, removal of portions of thesubstrate not covered by the inverse mask may result in the formation offins corresponding to drains, sources, and/or body regions of finFETs.

In some embodiments, the portions of the substrate removed during step528 may include a particular portion of the substrate located betweenthe doped regions of two semiconductor devices. In some embodiments, thesubstrate may be a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, and theparticular portion of the substrate removed during step 528 may borderon the portions of the substrate corresponding to the doped regions ofthe semiconductor devices, and on a buried oxide (BOX) layer of thesubstrate. In some embodiments, the substrate may be a bulk substrate,and the particular portion of the substrate removed during step 528 mayborder on the portions of the substrate corresponding to the dopedregions of the semiconductor devices, and on an underlying layer of thesubstrate.

In some embodiments, after removal of portions of the substrate duringstep 528, the portions of the substrate corresponding to the dopedregions of the semiconductor devices may be partially or fully isolatedfrom each other (e.g., not coupled to each other) in the layer in whichthey are formed. In some embodiments, the particular portion of thesubstrate removed during step 528 may constitute a minimum percentage ofthe undoped, non-body portions of the substrate within a specifiedregion of the substrate, such as a rectangular box-shaped region, thatincludes the doped regions of the semiconductor devices. The specifiedpercentage may be, for example, any percentage between 5% and 100%.

The method illustrated in FIG. 5C is just one example of a method ofisolating doped regions of semiconductor devices from each other. Insome embodiments, techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the artor otherwise suitable for isolating regions of the semiconductorsubstrate from each other may be used, including but not limited toshallow trench isolation or deep trench isolation. However, theisolation method of FIG. 5C may scale more easily to process nodes withsmall feature sizes (e.g., 32 nm or less).

In step 506 of the method of FIG. 5A, the gate of the semiconductordevice is formed. In some embodiments, prior to forming the gate, aninverse mask may be removed and a dielectric layer may be deposited onthe substrate, thereby insulating the remaining portions of thesubstrate from the materials to be deposited during formation of thegate. The dielectric layer may include, for example, a material with ahigh dielectric constant, such as hafnium oxide (HfO₂).

In some embodiments, the gate of the semiconductor device and a localinterconnect may be formed during a same process step of an integratedcircuit fabrication process. In some embodiments, forming a localinterconnect from a gate material and during a gate-formation step mayreduce the number of process steps required to fabricate the integratedcircuit. In some embodiments, the local interconnect may be shorterand/or have lower capacitance than an interconnect with the sameendpoints that is routed through through-vias and an upper interconnectlayer.

FIG. 5D shows a flowchart of a method of forming a gate of asemiconductor device, according to some embodiments. In step 532 of FIG.5D, one or more gate materials are provided over the substrate (e.g., ona dielectric layer). In some embodiments, the provided gate material(s)may include a work-function material (e.g., a metal carbide such astitanium carbide or a metal nitride such as titanium nitride) and ametallic material (e.g., aluminum, tungsten, and/or copper). In someembodiments, the gate material(s) may be provided by depositing thework-function material on the dielectric layer, removing portions of thework-function layer that were deposited over portions of the substratecorresponding to n-channel FETs, and depositing the metallic materialover the work-function material and the exposed portions of thedielectric layer. However, embodiments are not limited in this regard.In some embodiments, any material(s) known to one of ordinary skill inthe art or otherwise suitable for functioning as a gate of asemiconductor device (e.g., polysilicon and/or metallic materials) maybe provided using techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the artor otherwise suitable for providing such material(s).

In step 534 of FIG. 5D, a mask is aligned over the gate material(s). Insome embodiments, protrusions from the surface of the integrated circuitmay be used to facilitate alignment of the mask. Such protrusions maycorrespond, for example, to portions of the substrate that were isolatedfrom each other during step 504 of the method of FIG. 5A (e.g., viacontacts, doped regions of semiconductor devices, and/or body regions ofsemiconductor devices). In some embodiments, the alignment step mayinclude an optical alignment technique in which the scattering of lightby the protrusions is used to detect the locations of the protrusions.In some embodiments, the mask may contain openings over portions of thesubstrate corresponding to semiconductor devices gates and/or portionsof the substrate corresponding to electrical interconnects, includingbut not limited to interconnects that are coupled to the gates of thesemiconductor devices. In embodiments where a via contact and a dopedregion of a semiconductor device are defined in a same processing step,the use of the protrusion corresponding to the via contact as amask-alignment reference may facilitate alignment of the mask withrespect to the elements of the semiconductor device, such as a drain,source, gate, and/or fin.

In step 536 of FIG. 5D, portions of the gate material(s) which do notcorrespond to a gate of the semiconductor device and/or to an electricalinterconnect are removed. In some embodiments, the process of removingthe gate material(s) may include patterning the top layer of gatematerial(s) through openings in the mask, removing the mask, and etchingthe gate material(s). In some embodiments, the etching may be plasmaetching, reactive ion etching, or low temperature Cl₂/H₂ or florin metaletch. Embodiments are not limited in this regard. In some embodiments,any technique known to one of ordinary skill in the art or otherwisesuitable for selectively removing the gate material(s) may be used.

The method illustrated in FIG. 5D is just one example of a method offorming a gate of a semiconductor device. In some embodiments,techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art or otherwisesuitable for gate formation may be used.

In step 508 of FIG. 5A, other layers of the integrated circuit areformed. For example, in some embodiments, a contact oxide film may bedeposited and polished to a desired thickness (e.g., bychemical-mechanical polishing), portions of the integrated circuitcorresponding to through-vias and/or interconnect layers may be opened(e.g., using a Damascene process), via contacts may be silicided,through-via openings and/or interconnect layer openings may be filledwith suitable liner materials (e.g., tantalum nitride or titaniumnitride) and/or metallic materials (e.g., tungsten, aluminum, orcopper), and chemical-mechanical polishing may be performed. In someembodiments interconnect layers (e.g., metal interconnect layers) may beformed above the semiconductor devices and coupled to the semiconductordevices by the through-vias. Embodiments are not limited in this regard.In some embodiments, the remaining portions of the integrated circuitmay be fabricated using techniques known to one of ordinary skill in theart or any other suitable techniques for fabricating an integratedcircuit.

In some embodiments, steps of the method of FIG. 5A may be performed inthe order illustrated in FIG. 5A or in some other order. For example, insome embodiments, isolation step 504 and/or gate-formation step 506 maybe performed before doping step 502. Some embodiments may include only asubset of the method steps illustrated in FIG. 5A. For example, someembodiments may include only steps 502, 504, and 506.

Embodiments of the method of FIG. 5A may be used, for example, tofabricate a memory device or a portion of a memory device, such as amemory cell. In some embodiments the method of FIG. 5A may be used tofabricate an SRAM (static random access memory) cell, such as SRAM cell600 of FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows a schematic of an SRAM cell, according tosome embodiments. The SRAM cell of FIG. 6 includes six finFETs 602, 604,606, 608, 610, and 612. In some embodiments, finFETs 602, 604, 606, and610 may be n-channel finFETs, and finFETs 608 and 612 may be p-channelfinFETs. FinFETs 602 and 604 are independent-gate (IG) finFETs, eachhaving one gate coupled to a write line (W) and one gate coupled to aread/write line (RW). FinFETs 606, 608, 610, and 612 are dependent-gatefinFETs or tied-gate finFETs (e.g., independent-gate finFETs in whichthe independent gates are coupled to each other).

In some embodiments, each of the SRAM cell's finFETs may have a singlefin with a height of 32 nm, a width of 8 nm, and a channel length of 32nm. However, embodiments are not limited in this regard. In someembodiments, each finFET's configuration (e.g., number of fins, type ofgate, fin dimensions, etc.) may be a configuration known to one ofordinary skill in the art or otherwise suitable for a finFET of an SRAMcell.

The operation of an embodiment of the SRAM cell illustrated in FIG. 6 isdescribed by Liu et al. in “An Independent-Gate FinFET SRAM Cell forHigh Data Stability and Enhanced Integration Density,” in Proceedings ofthe 20th International IEEE SoC (System on Chip) Conference, 2007.FinFETs 608 and 606 form an inverter which is cross coupled with asecond inverter formed by finFETs 610 and 612. The cross-coupledinverters store a binary value at node 621 and the inverse of thatbinary value at node 622. FinFETs 602-604 control access to the SRAMcell. Setting write line (W) and read/write line (RW) low disconnectsthe cross-coupled inverters from bit lines BL and BLB. The SRAM cell isread by setting read/write line (RW) high while holding write line (W)low, which causes bit line BL to read out the binary value stored atnode 621 (i.e., the output of the inverter formed by finFETs 606 and608). The SRAM cell is written by setting read/write line (RW) and writeline (W) high, which causes the value of the bit provided on bit line BLto be stored at node 621. In some embodiments, access lines of the SRAMmay include bit lines BL and BLB. In some embodiments, control lines ofthe SRAM may include write line W and read/write line RW.

FIG. 7 shows SRAM cell of FIG. 6 laid out on an integrated circuit 700,according to some embodiments. As can be seen, gates 660 and 682 offinFET 608 and finFET 606, respectively, are connected by a localinterconnect 691. Likewise, gates 661 and 684 of finFET 610 and finFET612, respectively, are connected by local interconnect 690. FinFETs 608and 612 share a drain 662 which is coupled to a supply voltage VDDthrough a via contact and an interconnect layer. Likewise, finFETs 606and 610 share a source 663 which is coupled to ground through a viacontact and an interconnect layer. The source 664 of finFET 608 and thedrain 658 of finFET 606 are connected through via contacts and aninterconnect layer 667, which is also connected to local interconnect690 through via contact 678. The source 665 of finFET 612 and the drain666 of finFET 610 are connected through via contacts and interconnectlayer 668, which is also connected to local interconnect 691 through viacontact 680. The source 650 of finFET 602 is coupled to bit line BLthrough a via contact and an interconnect layer. The source 670 offinFET 604 is coupled to bit line BLB through a via contact aninterconnect layer. Each of finFETs 602 and 604 has a gate (656 and 677,respectively) connected to read/write line (RW) through a localinterconnect 671, a via contact 672, and an interconnect layer. FinFET602 has a second gate 654 connected to write line (W) through a localinterconnect 673, a via contact 674, and an interconnect layer.Likewise, finFET 604 has a second gate 678 connected to a write line (W)through a local interconnect 675, a via contact 676, and an interconnectlayer.

In some embodiments, the finFET gates and local interconnects may beformed from polysilicon and/or one or more metallic materials. In someembodiments, the local interconnects may be formed in the sameprocessing step and with the same materials (or a subset of the samematerials) as the gates of the finFETs. In some embodiments, at leastsome of the materials used to form the gates of the finFETs may bemetallic materials. In some embodiments, the interconnect layers coupledto various nodes of the SRAM cell may be metal interconnect layers.

Embodiments of the method of FIG. 5A may be used to fabricate the SRAMcell of FIG. 6 (e.g., using the layout of FIG. 7). FIGS. 8A-13C showembodiments of integrated circuit 700 at different times duringfabrication according to an embodiment of the method of FIG. 5A. InFIGS. 8A-13C, reference numbers between 600 and 799 are used to identifystructural elements of the SRAM cell (e.g., finFET doped regions, finFETfins, finFET gates, via contacts, etc.), while reference numbers between800 and 899 are used to identify materials that form the structures andmaterials used during the fabrication of the structures (e.g., masks,silicon layers, dielectric layers, etc.).

As described above, in the method of FIG. 5A, portions of asemiconductor substrate may be doped (step 502). In a sub-step of thedoping step (e.g., step 512 of FIG. 5B), a mask may be provided over asemiconductor substrate. FIGS. 8A-C show integrated circuit 700 aftermask-provision sub-step 512 has been performed, according to someembodiments. In particular, FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C show a top view ofintegrated circuit 700, a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700along line A-A, and a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700along line B-B, respectively, according to some embodiments.

In the example of FIGS. 8A-C, integrated circuit 700 includes substrate701 and a mask 802. Substrate 701 may be any semiconductor substrateknown to one of ordinary skill in the art or otherwise suitable forfabricating an SRAM cell, including but not limited to a fully-depletedsilicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) substrate with a silicon layer 804, aburied oxide (BOX) layer 806, and a second silicon layer 808. In someembodiments, silicon layer 804 may have a thickness of 32 nm or less. Insome embodiments, BOX layer 806 may have a thickness between 10 nm and50 nm. Mask 802 may include any material known to one of ordinary skillin the art or otherwise suitable for masking a substrate 701, includingbut not limited to silicon nitride (SiN) or silicon oxide (SiO).

In additional sub-steps of the doping step (e.g., steps 514 and 516 ofFIG. 5B), portions of the mask may be opened, portions of the substrateaccessible through the openings in the mask may be implanted withdopants, and the implanted dopants may be activated. FIGS. 9A-C showintegrated circuit 700 after mask-opening sub-step 514 andimplantation-activation sub-step 516 have been performed, according tosome embodiments. In particular, FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C show a top view ofintegrated circuit 700, a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700along line A-A, and a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700along line B-B, respectively, according to some embodiments.

In the example of FIGS. 9A-C, mask 802 includes eight openings overportions of substrate 701 which correspond to the doped regions (650,658, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 670) of the six finFETs; five openingsover portions of substrate 701 which correspond to via contacts (672,674, 676, 678, and 680); and twelve openings which correspond tonon-body regions (704) of the fins of the six finFETs. Mask 802 does notinclude openings over the portions of the substrate that correspond tothe body regions of the six finFETs (705). As can be seen in FIG. 9C,the portions of substrate 701 accessible through the openings in mask802 are doped to form doped regions 707. In some embodiments, differentdopants may be used for the doped regions of the p-channel finFETs(i.e., finFETs 608 and 612) and the n-channel finFETs (i.e., finFETs602, 604, 606, and 610). In some embodiments, the portions of thesubstrate corresponding to the bodies (705) of the finFETs may bepartially or fully depleted of charge carriers.

Forming the finFET doped regions and the via contacts in the sameprocessing step(s) may facilitate alignment of the finFET terminals withthe SRAM cell's access lines (e.g., write line W, read/write line RW,and/or bit lines BL and BLB).

In the method of FIG. 5A, doped regions of semiconductor devices (e.g.,finFETs) may be isolated from each other (step 504). In a sub-step ofthe isolation step (e.g., steps 522 and 524 of FIG. 5C), portions of amask may be opened over portions of the substrate corresponding to thebody regions of the semiconductor devices (e.g., finFETs), and aninverse mask may be formed in the openings of the first mask. FIGS.10A-C show integrated circuit 700 after mask-opening sub-step 522 andinverse-mask sub-step 524 have been performed on integrated circuit 700,according to some embodiments. In particular, FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10Cshow a top view of integrated circuit 700, a cross-sectional view ofintegrated circuit 700 along line A-A, and a cross-sectional view ofintegrated circuit 700 along line B-B, respectively, according to someembodiments.

In the example of FIGS. 10A-C, the mask 802 includes the openingsdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 9A-C, and additional openingsabove the portions of the substrate corresponding to the bodies of thesix finFETs (705). In the example of FIGS. 10A-C, the openings in mask802 are filled with a second mask material 810 which forms a mask thatis an inverse of mask 802 (an “inverse mask”). In some embodiments,inverse mask 810 may be formed from a material that differs from thematerial of mask 802. For example, in embodiments where mask 802comprises silicon nitride (SiN), inverse mask 810 may comprise siliconoxide (SiO). As another example, in embodiments where mask 802 comprisessilicon oxide (SiO), inverse 810 mask may comprise silicon nitride(SiN).

In additional sub-steps of the doping step (e.g., steps 526 and 528 ofFIG. 5B), the first mask and portions of the substrate which are notcovered by the inverse mask may be removed. FIGS. 11A-C show integratedcircuit 700 after mask-removal sub-step 526 and substrate-removalsub-step 528 have been performed, according to some embodiments. Inparticular, FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C show a top view of integratedcircuit 700, a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along lineA-A, and a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along lineB-B, respectively, according to some embodiments.

In the example of FIGS. 11A-C, integrated circuit 700 includes inversemask 810 and the portions of substrate layer 804 covered by the inversemask, which form the doped regions (650, 658, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666,670) and bodies (705) of the six finFETs, and the doped regions of thefive via contacts (672, 674, 676, 678, and 680). All other portions ofsubstrate layer 804 within the SRAM cell have been removed, therebyisolating the finFETs and exposing the surface of buried oxide (BOX)layer 806.

In the method of FIG. 5A, gates of semiconductor devices (e.g., finFETs)are formed (step 506). As part of the gate-formation step, a dielectriclayer may be provided on the integrated circuit. As another part of thegate-formation step (e.g., step 532 of FIG. 5D), one or more gatematerials may be provided over the dielectric layer. FIGS. 11D and 11Eshow integrated circuit 700 after dielectric layer 812 and gatematerials 814 and 816 have been provided on the integrated circuit,according to some embodiments. In particular, FIGS. 11D and 11E show across-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along line A-A and across-sectional view of integrated circuit 700 along line B-B,respectively, according to some embodiments.

In the example of FIGS. 11D-E, integrated circuit 700 includesdielectric layer 812, gate material 814, and gate material 816. In someembodiments, dielectric layer 812 may include a high-k material, such ashafnium oxide (HfO₂). In some embodiments, dielectric layer 812 may beprovided over substrate 701 throughout the SRAM cell. In someembodiments, gate material 814 may be a work-function material, such asa metal carbide (e.g., TiC) or a metal nitride (e.g., TiN). In someembodiments, gate material 814 may be provided over dielectric layer 812in portions of the SRAM cell that correspond to p-channel finFETs. Insome embodiments, gate material 816 may be a metallic material, such asaluminum, tungsten, or copper. In some embodiments, gate material 816may be provided on integrated circuit 700 throughout the SRAM cell.

In additional sub-steps of the gate-formation step (e.g., steps 534 and536 of FIG. 5D), a mask is aligned over the one or more gate materials,and portions of the gate material(s) are removed. FIGS. 12A-C showintegrated circuit 700 after mask-alignment sub-step 534 andmaterial-removal sub-step 536 have been performed, according to someembodiments. In particular, FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C show a top view ofintegrated circuit 700, a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700along line A-A, and a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700along line B-B, respectively, according to some embodiments.

In the example of FIGS. 12A-C, the gate material(s) remain on integratedcircuit 700 in the local interconnects (671, 673, 675, 690, and 691) andthe finFET gates (654/656, 660, 661, 677/678, 682, 684), but have beenremoved from other portions of the SRAM cell, including the dopedregions (650, 658, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 670) and bodies (705) of thesix finFETs, and the doped regions of the five via contacts (672, 674,676, 678, and 680). In particular, the gates (660, 661) of the p-channelfinFETs (608, 612) include gate material 814 (e.g., a work-functionmaterial) and gate layer 816 (e.g., a metallic material), the gates(654/656, 677/678, 682, 684) of the n-channel finFETs (602, 604, 606,610) include gate material 816, and the local interconnects (671, 673,675, 690, and 691) include gate material 816. With regards to finFET602, the independent gates (654 and 656) may be formed by removing thegate material(s) from the middle of the gate area, thereby creating agap between the gate 654 and gate 656. The same technique may be used toform the independent gates of finFET 604. On portions of the integratedcircuit not covered by the gate materials, dielectric layer 812 isexposed. For the reasons described above, using the gate material(s) aslocal interconnects to couple the finFET gates to each other, to writeline W, and/or to read/write line RW may be advantageous, compared tousing via contacts and an upper interconnect layer for those purposes.

In the method of FIG. 5A, other layers of the integrated circuit areformed (step 508), such as interconnect layers and through-vias. FIGS.13A-C show integrated circuit 700 after formation of interconnect layersand through-vias. In particular, FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C show a top viewof integrated circuit 700, a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit700 along line A-A, and a cross-sectional view of integrated circuit 700along line B-B, respectively, according to some embodiments.

As can be seen in FIG. 13B, integrated circuit 700 includes a dielectriclayer 826 which insulates the components of the SRAM cell frominterconnect layer 824. In the example of FIG. 13B, interconnect layer824 includes two sub-layers, 824 a and 824 b. In some embodiments, layer824 a of interconnect layer 824 may be a metallic material, such asaluminum, tungsten, copper, or any other metallic or non-metallicmaterial known to one of ordinary skill in the art or otherwise suitablefor carrying electrical signals on an integrated circuit. In someembodiments, layer 824 b of interconnect layer 824 may be a liner formedfrom material(s) known to one of ordinary skill in the art or otherwisesuitable for lining layer 824 a, such as tantalum nitride or titaniumnitrde.

As can be seen in FIG. 13C, dielectric layer 826 also insulates thecomponents of the SRAM cell from through-via layer 820. In the exampleof FIG. 13C, through-via layer 820 includes two sub-layers, 820 a and820 b. In some embodiments, layer 820 a of through-via layer 820 may bea metallic material, such as aluminum, tungsten, copper, or any othermetallic or non-metallic material known to one of ordinary skill in theart or otherwise suitable for carrying electrical signals on anintegrated circuit. In some embodiments, layer 820 b of through-vialayer 820 may be a liner formed from material(s) known to one ofordinary skill in the art or otherwise suitable for lining layer 820 a,such as tantalum nitride or titanium nitride. In some embodiments,electrical contacts 818 may connect through-via layers 820 to the dopedregions (650, 658, 662-666, 670) of the six finFETs and/or to the dopedregions of the via contacts (672, 674, 676, 678, 680). The electricalcontacts 818 may include silicides formed on the portions of the dopedregions adjacent to the through-vias 820.

Although the foregoing disclosure refers to finFETs as examples ofsemiconductor devices that may be fabricated using the method of FIG.5A, embodiments are not limited in this regard. The techniques describedherein may be used to fabricate any semiconductor device known to one ofordinary skill in the art, including but not limited to planar,non-planar, three-dimensional, single-gate and/or multi-gate devices,such as diodes, double-gate transistors, finFETs, tri-gate transistors,multi-gate transistors, delta transistors, pi-gate finFETs, omega-gate(Ω-gate) finFETs, gate-all-around finFETs, flexFETs, etc.

Although the foregoing disclosure describes the SRAM cell schematic andlayout of FIGS. 6 and 7 as examples of an SRAM cell that may befabricated using the method of FIG. 5A, embodiments are not limited inthis regard. The techniques described herein may be used to fabricateother layouts of the SRAM cell illustrated in FIG. 6, SRAM cells otherthan the SRAM cell illustrated in FIG. 6, and memory cells other thanSRAM cells.

Although the foregoing disclosure describes an SRAM cell as an exampleof a device that can be fabricated using the method of FIG. 5A,embodiments are not limited in this regard. Embodiments of the method ofFIG. 5A may be used to fabricate any memory circuit, processing circuit,or communication circuit known to one of ordinary skill in the art orotherwise suitable for storing, processing, or communicating data.

Terms used herein to describe positioning relationships of structuralelements, such as “over,” “under,” “above,” “below,” “beside,” and“adjacent to,” should not be construed as requiring the structuralelements to be in contact with each other or directly related (e.g.,“over” should not be construed to mean “directly over” or to requirethat no other structures intervene between structure A and structure Bwhen structure A is described as being “over” structure B), even wheresome or all embodiments of the structural elements illustrated in theFigures show the structural elements being in contact with each otherand/or positioned without any structures intervening between them.

Embodiments described in the present disclosure may be included in (orused to fabricate components of) any electronic or optoelectronicdevice, including but not limited to a memory, a microprocessor, amobile electronic device, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tabletcomputer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a server, a gameconsole, a television, a display, or a communications device.

Terms used herein to describe a doped region of a semiconductor device,such as “source” or “drain,” should not be construed to indicate thatthe doped region is necessarily biased at a lower or higher potentialthan any other doped region of the semiconductor device.

A portion of an integrated circuit, such as a portion of a semiconductorsubstrate, “corresponds to” a structure, such as a fin, doped region, ortransistor body, if that portion of the integrated circuit forms or willform that structure. Additional forms of correspondence between aportion of an integrated circuit and a structure will be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” andvariations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listedthereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

Having thus described at least one illustrative embodiment of theinvention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements willreadily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations,modifications, and improvements are intended to be within the spirit andscope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by wayof example only and is not intended as limiting. The invention islimited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalentsthereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: doping, in a sameprocessing step, first and second portions of a substrate of anintegrated circuit, the first portion corresponding to a doped region ofa semiconductor device, and the second portion corresponding to a viacontact; and after the doping, forming the gate of the semiconductordevice; and after the doping, isolating the first portion of thesubstrate from a third portion of the substrate corresponding to a dopedregion of a second semiconductor device.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein forming the gate further includes: forming, from a same metalliclayer from which the gate is formed and in a same processing step inwhich the gate is formed, a local interconnect coupling the gate of thesemiconductor device to the second portion of the substratecorresponding to the via contact.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein: thesemiconductor device is a transistor of a cell of a static random-accessmemory (SRAM), and a portion of the local interconnect is configured asa portion of a control line of the SRAM.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the via contact is coupled to an access line or a control lineof the SRAM.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein forming the gate of thesemiconductor device comprises: depositing a material over thesubstrate; aligning a mask over the gate layer; patterning the materialto define the gate and the local interconnect coupling the gate to thevia contact; and removing portions of the material adjacent to the gateand/or the via contact.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the materialis metallic.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein a dummy gate is notformed at a location corresponding to the gate of the semiconductordevice.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the gate occurs afterthe isolating.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein isolating the firstportion of the substrate from the third portion of the substratecomprises: removing a fourth portion of the substrate coupling the firstand third portions of the substrate.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein:the substrate is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate; and the fourthportion of the substrate borders on the first portion of the substrate,on the third portion of the substrate, and on a buried oxide layer ofthe substrate.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein: after the fourthportion of the substrate is removed, the first and third portions of thesubstrate are not coupled to each other by a layer of the substrate inwhich doped regions of the semiconductor device and the secondsemiconductor are formed.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein isolatingthe first portion of the substrate from the third portion of thesubstrate comprises: removing, from a rectangular box-shaped region of alayer of the substrate that includes the first and third portions of thesubstrate, at least 60% of portions of the layer of substrate whichcorrespond to neither a via contact, nor a doped region of asemiconductor device, nor a body of a semiconductor device.
 13. Themethod of claim 1, wherein isolating the first portion of the substratefrom the third portion of the substrate comprises: providing a secondmask layer above a first mask layer, the first mask layer beingconfigured to define the doped region and the via contact during thedoping step; chemically-mechanically polishing the second mask layer;removing the first mask layer; and etching portions of the substrate notunder the second mask layer.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising, prior to the doping: providing the first mask layer abovethe substrate; and opening portions of the mask layer corresponding tothe doped region and the via contact.
 15. A method, comprising: doping,in a same processing step, first and second portions of a substrate ofan integrated circuit, the first portion corresponding to a doped regionof a semiconductor device, and the second portion corresponding to a viacontact; and after the doping, forming the gate of the semiconductordevice; and after the doping, isolating the first portion of thesubstrate from a third portion of the substrate corresponding to a dopedregion of a second semiconductor device, wherein the substrate comprisessilicon that is fully or partially depleted.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the substrate is a fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI)substrate.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein a thickness of a siliconlayer of the substrate is between 2 nm and 35 nm.
 18. A method,comprising: doping, in a same processing step, first and second portionsof a substrate of an integrated circuit, the first portion correspondingto a doped region of a semiconductor device, and the second portioncorresponding to a via contact; and after the doping, forming the gateof the semiconductor device; and after the doping, isolating the firstportion of the substrate from a third portion of the substratecorresponding to a doped region of a second semiconductor device,wherein the semiconductor device is a non-planar semiconductor device.19. The method of claim 18, wherein the non-planar semiconductor deviceis a finFET.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the non-planarsemiconductor device comprises a multi-gate transistors, finFET, deltatransistor, pi-gate finFET, omega-gate (Ω-gate) finFET, gate-all-aroundfinFET, or flexFET.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein: the non-planarsemiconductor device includes a fin, and the fin includes: at least aportion of the doped region of the non-planar semiconductor device, andat least a portion of a body of the non-planar semiconductor device. 22.The method of claim 18, wherein a portion of the gate of the non-planarsemiconductor device is beside and/or below a body of the non-planarsemiconductor device.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein a secondportion of the gate of the non-planar semiconductor device is above thebody of the non-planar device.
 24. An integrated circuit comprising thesemiconductor device fabricated by the method of claim
 1. 25. Anintegrated circuit comprising an SRAM cell, the SRAM cell including thesemiconductor device fabricated by the method of claim 1.